"Creaking" drivers door - anyone else have this?

sshoureas · January 21, 2006

I have a 2004 GMC Z71 which I bought new and now have 24,000 trouble free miles on. The only complaint I have is a "creaking" sound coming from the drivers side front door (extended cab, not quad quab). It sounds like something coming from the hinge/pillar attachment area. This also occurs while I am driving the truck, not opening/closing the doors. Any bumpiness in the road surface, accelerating or stopping causes it. I haven't doused the hinges yet with penetrating lubricant, I'll do that next. Anyone else had this on their truck? Thanks for any help.

mmmikkke · January 21, 2006

I have a 2004 GMC Z71 which I bought new and now have 24,000 trouble free miles on. The only complaint I have is a "creaking" sound coming from the drivers side front door (extended cab, not quad quab). It sounds like something coming from the hinge/pillar attachment area. This also occurs while I am driving the truck, not opening/closing the doors. Any bumpiness in the road surface, accelerating or stopping causes it. I haven't doused the hinges yet with penetrating lubricant, I'll do that next. Anyone else had this on their truck? Thanks for any help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I remember a post about this from a few months back. Try searching in google for "site:gm-trucks.com armour all squeak".

pm26 · January 22, 2006

Besides the hinges, the door check (black guide between the hinges that limits the angle of door opening) can also be the source of annoying creaks or squeaks. I had that happen on my Mazda 626. Sprayed some WD 40 on it and the creaking went away. Mine only did it when opening/closing the door.

topo4u2 · January 22, 2006

Hey sshoureas,

I mentioned this in a post some time ago. Yes, I have exactly the same thing on my 05 silverado. It does it mostly when cold out side and its coming from the door pillar at the top near the latch(I think), very annoying indeed. Must be some

GM fault as a few people are getting it. I tried the WD spray and did not work. Not sure what to make of it. I wish someone could track it down.

Stay in touch

lrymal · January 22, 2006

At the risk of being repetitive take it to the dealer. Free warranty.

GM has some pretty good lubricant for dealing with these issues. Don't use WD-40.

topo4u2 · January 22, 2006

Roger that, I will likely mention it at my next oil change along with my rusted bumbers.

ge6280 · January 22, 2006

I had the very same problem on both a 2002 and 2003. Both times I took it back to the dealer and they were able to take care of it under warranty. They never let on what it was but at least they stopped it.

Chuckster · January 22, 2006

I have a 2004 GMC Z71 which I bought new and now have 24,000 trouble free miles on. The only complaint I have is a "creaking" sound coming from the drivers side front door (extended cab, not quad quab). It sounds like something coming from the hinge/pillar attachment area. This also occurs while I am driving the truck, not opening/closing the doors. Any bumpiness in the road surface, accelerating or stopping causes it. I haven't doused the hinges yet with penetrating lubricant, I'll do that next. Anyone else had this on their truck? Thanks for any help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I bet I know exactly what it is... It is the Door Skin. I had the same thing on my 2001 Tahoe... even if I rested my arm on the armrest and pressed hard I could make it creak...

The resolution was simple...

I pulled the door skin off. The skin literally hangs on the door with a bunch of plastic "Hooks".. The noise was coming from the hooks scraping on the sheet metal door.. I took some duct tape and wrapped it over the sharp metal openings where the hooks catch. Then I put a little silicone grease on the inside of the hooks... Put back together...

VIOLA! Dead Quiet.. ;)

seadoons · January 22, 2006

Guys,

This is a post that I made a long time ago about this same problem. I also tried adjusting crap with the door, never tried removing the door skin, but this will fix your problem. Here is my post:

Hello,

I feel your pain and know exactly what the problem is. The noise is coming from you weather stipping. Here are two of my posts from back in August. They describe the problem and how to fix it:

It is absolutely the weather strippings in the door seals. What you need to do is go to Wal-Mart and buy a can of STP silicone grease (blue can, red top, kind of like a spray paint can.) Pull your weather stripping off (driver and passanger side)...I am talking about the strip that runs along from the front fenders, up the windshield, and then across the edge of the roof, then down behind the rear doors. Wipe them off with a dry rag (to get the dirt off) and then SOAK both sides of them with that stuff. It is "greaseless" and odorless, so don't worry. When I say both sides, I mean the side you can physically see, and the side that actually touches the truck. (this is important) I had mine in the shop 3 times for that problem...and the truck sounded like a piece of s**t from day 1. I wanted to get rid of it because it sounded like it was 30 years old from all the noise the cab made. All the dealership did was spray the side you can see. After a year of living with the noise, I started thinking that maybe it was the backside of them. I soaked them, put them back on (real easy to do) and haven't had a problem since. That was like 3 months ago, but I'll do it every 2 weeks if necessary. It feels like I am driving a brand new truck, even though it is only 1 1/2 years old. Good luck, and I feel your pain!!!

And here is the 2nd post, in response to some questions:

It took all of about 10 minutes to do this. They pull off real easy...and putting them back on isn't too hard either. When putting them back on, start just above the windshield, and then slide it down behind the fender (be sure to note their position before taking them off and you'll see what I am talking about). Snap it back on along the windsheild, along the roof, then down behind the door. I am not mechanically savvy at all, and I am not a big fan of ripping things off, but it was very easy. I did it like 2 months ago, and I have had no problems with wind noise, leaks, or the strippings not staying on. I bought the GM dielectric grease, but I did not use it. The little tube was $14 from the dealership, and the can of silicone grease was really cheap at Wal-Mart. The way I figured out it was the strips making the noise was that I pulled them off and drove it around the block. It made my day...it was so quiet!!!!! Anyone that thinks their truck is a POS because of all the noise the cab makes needs to try this.

97chevy350 · January 23, 2006

Don't use WD-40, it wont last at all. I use white lithium grease in a spray can, works great and lasts for a long time.

05_2500HD · January 24, 2006

Guys,

This is a post that I made a long time ago about this same problem. I also tried adjusting crap with the door, never tried removing the door skin, but this will fix your problem. Here is my post:

Hello,

I feel your pain and know exactly what the problem is. The noise is coming from you weather stipping. Here are two of my posts from back in August. They describe the problem and how to fix it:

It is absolutely the weather strippings in the door seals. What you need to do is go to Wal-Mart and buy a can of STP silicone grease (blue can, red top, kind of like a spray paint can.) Pull your weather stripping off (driver and passanger side)...I am talking about the strip that runs along from the front fenders, up the windshield, and then across the edge of the roof, then down behind the rear doors. Wipe them off with a dry rag (to get the dirt off) and then SOAK both sides of them with that stuff. It is "greaseless" and odorless, so don't worry. When I say both sides, I mean the side you can physically see, and the side that actually touches the truck. (this is important) I had mine in the shop 3 times for that problem...and the truck sounded like a piece of s**t from day 1. I wanted to get rid of it because it sounded like it was 30 years old from all the noise the cab made. All the dealership did was spray the side you can see. After a year of living with the noise, I started thinking that maybe it was the backside of them. I soaked them, put them back on (real easy to do) and haven't had a problem since. That was like 3 months ago, but I'll do it every 2 weeks if necessary. It feels like I am driving a brand new truck, even though it is only 1 1/2 years old. Good luck, and I feel your pain!!!

And here is the 2nd post, in response to some questions:

It took all of about 10 minutes to do this. They pull off real easy...and putting them back on isn't too hard either. When putting them back on, start just above the windshield, and then slide it down behind the fender (be sure to note their position before taking them off and you'll see what I am talking about). Snap it back on along the windsheild, along the roof, then down behind the door. I am not mechanically savvy at all, and I am not a big fan of ripping things off, but it was very easy. I did it like 2 months ago, and I have had no problems with wind noise, leaks, or the strippings not staying on. I bought the GM dielectric grease, but I did not use it. The little tube was $14 from the dealership, and the can of silicone grease was really cheap at Wal-Mart. The way I figured out it was the strips making the noise was that I pulled them off and drove it around the block. It made my day...it was so quiet!!!!! Anyone that thinks their truck is a POS because of all the noise the cab makes needs to try this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you / can you take a photo of this weatherstrip ? It would be much appreciated....

Thanks !!

c4cruiser · February 27, 2006

Besides the hinges, the door check (black guide between the hinges that limits the angle of door opening) can also be the source of annoying creaks or squeaks. I had that happen on my Mazda 626. Sprayed some WD 40 on it and the creaking went away. Mine only did it when opening/closing the door.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The driver's door on my 99 has been doing the same thing for the last few years. The door check has the spring on the inside of the door frame and a lack of grease at the S-shaped spring causes craking and also makes it hard to open and close the door easily.

A few years ago, GM issued a TSB on this problem. I took my truck to my dealer to get the problem resolved and gave them the TSB number. They looked at me like I wasn't supposed to know such things and said there were no reported problems with the check and spring.

So I go back home, called a friend who works for GM and he sent me a copy of the TSB. Took it back to the dealer and showed it to the service manager. Becasue my truck was out of warranty, I had to pay for getting the guide lubed but it never did fix the problem. The TSB called for replacing both the door check and the spring but my dealer said it wasn't necessary. Which was (of course)

67ChevyRedneck · February 27, 2006

The only noise in the interior of my '00 Silverado is the sound of the stereo playing some tunes

Seriously, some of y'all are really nit picky on things. I don't think I've ever owned a vehicle that DIDN'T make noises. Even my girlfriends '05 TOYOTA TACOMA (supposedly the best trucks ever built according to C&D mag (insert sarcasm)) has several interior noises. It squeaks under the dash and makes a funny thump sound under the passenger floor. I told her to not worry about them and turn the stereo up.

If it's not a driveline noise, don't worry about it But of course if its under warranty.... why not take it in??

seadoons · February 27, 2006

I don't believe pictures are necessary - I would take some but do not have time to do it over the next few weeks while it would be light outside.

This also is not being nit-picky - I can deal with a noise or two. That is understandable. This noise is something that made my dad think it was raining outside because it is so loud. It only happens at slow speeds while as the body flexes - so parking, going up driveways, going over any bumps, etc.

Lube up the strips on both sides and you will be happy.

sshoureas · February 28, 2006

Thanks for the excellent advice guys! After hearing of other's experience, I think this is my problem as well. I'll check it out tonight and post my results!